Following one minutes, the House will debate the first ten bills listed for consideration under suspension of the Rules. After debate on the suspensions, the House is expected to take votes.

**MEMBERS ARE ADVISED THAT CLOSE VOTES ARE EXPECTED TODAY ON H.R. 2610. ANY EXPECTED ABSENCES SHOULD BE REPORTED TO THE WHIP’S OFFICE AT X5-3130.

Complete Consideration of H.R. 2610– Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2014 (Rep. Latham – Appropriations). The bill provides a total of $97.6 billion for Transportation and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) departments and related agencies, including $53.5 billion to be released from the highway and aviation trust funds and $44.1 billion in discretionary appropriations. The discretionary portion of this bill is nearly $10 billion below the version currently under consideration in the Senate.

The bill funds federal-aid highway programs at the levels prescribed by last year's highway authorization law and increases funding for highway, truck and rail safety. The measure also reduces aviation, mass transit and housing programs, making major cuts to Amtrak (33%), Community Development Block Grants (45%) and HOME grants (30%).

Republicans are developing this year's spending bills based on the post-sequester $967 billion discretionary spending cap included in the Republican (Ryan) Budget Resolution rather than the $1.058 trillion cap agreed upon in the Budget Control Act. As a result, domestic appropriations bills were left with even less room as Republicans fully fund the Defense Department while still promising $91 billion in appropriations cuts.

Senate Democrats, meanwhile, are developing their FY 2014 spending bills using the $1.058 trillion cap set by the Budget Control Act. The Senate is currently considering its version of the FY 2014 T-HUD spending bill, which would provide $107.5 billion in total budgetary resources. $54 billion of the Senate version is discretionary budget authority, almost $10 billion more in discretionary spending than the $44.1 billion in the House bill.

As of last night, the House had completed reading through all titles in the bill. The House will begin debating amendments at the end of the bill today.

Begin Consideration of H.R. 1582– Energy Consumers Relief Act (Rep. Cassidy – Energy and Commerce) (One Hour of Debate). This bill prohibits the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from finalizing regulations estimated to cost more than $1 billion if the Energy Department determines that the regulations will cause significant adverse effects to the economy.

The measure would effectively prevent EPA from finalizing any regulations and would give the Energy Department a veto over EPA's air and water pollution rules or any other rule interpreted to be "energy-related." The measure could also indefinitely delay EPA energy-related rules because there are no deadlines for EPA to submit its report or for the Energy Department to complete its study.

The Rule, which was passed last week, makes in order 6 amendments, debatable for 10 minutes, equally divided between the offeror and an opponent.

**Members are advised that the House is only expected to consider general debate of H.R. 1582 today. The House will complete consideration of the bill tomorrow.

H.Res. 222 – Recognizing the long–term partnership and friendship between the United States and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, working together towards peace and security in the Middle East, as amended (Rep. Meeks – Foreign Affairs)

TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK The GOP Leadership has announced the following schedule for Thursday, August 1: The House will meet at 12:00 p.m. for legislative business. The House is expected to complete consideration of H.R. 1582 – Energy Consumers Relief Act (Rep. Cassidy – Energy and Commerce). The House is also expected to consider H.R. 367 – REINS Act (Rep. Young (IN) – Judiciary/Rules/Budget) (Subject to a Rule).

The Daily Quote

“House Republicans, in their final days at work before taking a five-week vacation, have come out with a new agenda: ‘Stop Government Abuse.’ A more candid slogan might be: ‘Stop Government.’ This is traditionally one of the busiest weeks of the year, when the House rushes to complete the dozen annual spending bills so that the Senate can pass them before the new fiscal year begins Oct. 1. But there is no hurry this time. Instead of taking the lead on spending bills as the House traditionally does, lawmakers are instead proceeding with bills such as one ‘guaranteeing a citizen’s right to record conversations with federal regulators.’ That legal protection for recording devices might be a fine idea. But the real ‘government abuse’ is what the House itself is doing: Only four of the 12 appropriations bills have cleared the chamber so far. And because the House plans to be in session just nine days in September, that guarantees that government finances won’t be in order in time for the new fiscal year. House Republicans aren’t even trying to get the job done — which would seem to confirm the suspicion that they are precipitating a crisis.”